Ingrid Bergman's screen appeal was usually based on the vulnerability of her characters, so for her to present the tenacity and courage of Gladys Aylward, the domestic servant who set out to bring Christianity to the peasants of China, was a considerable challenge. It's a glamorised portrayal (and one with which Aylward was not completely satisfied), but it's also a gritty and completely sympathetic performance, backed by some exceptional support playing, notably from the indomitable Athene Seyler. In the last film of a distinguished career, Robert Donat is heartbreaking as a kindly mandarin, but the spirits are sent soaring by the final chorus of "Nick knack paddy wack".

All her life, Englishwoman Gladys Aylward knew that China was where she belonged. Unqualified to be sent as a missionary, Gladys works as a domestic to earn to send herself to a poor, remote village. There, she eventually lives a full and happy life: running the inn, acting as 'foot inspector', advising the local Mandarin, and even winning the heart of mixed-race Captain Lin Nan. Gladys discovers her real destiny when the country is invaded by Japan and the Chinese children need her to save their lives.